Skoda tips record-breaking 2010

Skoda’s CEO Reinhard Jung expects the Czech firm to have its best ever year for new car sales in 2010.

Skoda recorded its strongest year ever for sales in 2009, buoyed by scrappage incentive schemes in Western Europe and its emergence as one of the biggest-selling brands in China. Its sales in 2009 stood at 684,226 units, a 1.4 per cent rise on 2008 year-on-year.

Jung says the ever-increasing strength of emerging markets, coupled with the launch of several new models will help Skoda beat its 2009 sales figures this year.

“We believe that our newly reworked range of models will help us, together with new factories in growing markets," Jung told reporters at a press conference. “Maybe in 2010 we may add another record in the number of sold cars.”

Skoda's biggest-selling model in 2009 was the Octavia, which sold 273,590 units and the Fabia, which sold 264,173 units. Sales of the Superb were up 73.7 per cent to 44,548 units and the Yeti sold 11,018 units between September and December.

Skoda will imminently launch revised versions of its Fabia, Fabia Scout and Roomster models in 2010, as well as a vRS performance variant of its Fabia. The estate version of the Superb went on sale in the UK last month.

To those that can get past the badge this is no surprise. Having owned an 02 plate Octavia in the past it really showed how far this company has come under the VW ownership and in many respects has not only proved to be the budget brand of the VAG group, but can hold it's own in the quality, drive and sporting stakes with cars it should not be competing with. The dealers also play a major part in the whole Skoda experience in fact, VAG chiefs should find out what makes the Skoda dealers tick as they could do with bringing the rest of the VAG dealerships upto the SKoda level.

As someone said on another thread a few weeks back, Audi makes very expensive Skodas!